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Notes on Running Better Calls

Rubrics, rounds, evaluators and the detail that decides whether a call finishes on time.Rubrics, rounds, evaluator workload and the administrative detail that decides whether a call finishes on time. Written for the people who run programmes, by the team that builds the platform they run them on.

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Judging a Hackathon Fairly

Judging modes, calibrating strict and generous judges, the live board and public results, for hackathon and competition organisers.

27 Oct 20267 min read

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13 articles, newest first

Decisions and reporting
Decision Letters Applicants Respect
How to write accept, waitlist and decline letters: waitlist rank, feedback that helps, timing, testing and a record of what was sent.
25 Oct 20267 min read
Decisions and reporting
Decision Letters Applicants Respect
25 Oct 20267 min read
Privacy and trust
The DPDP Act for Programme Offices
What India's DPDP Act means when you collect applications: notice, purpose, retention, erasure requests and a grievance officer.
23 Oct 20267 min read
Privacy and trust
The DPDP Act for Programme Offices
23 Oct 20267 min read
Programme design
Moving Selection off Forms and Spreadsheets
Where form-plus-spreadsheet selection breaks, how to tell when to move, and the twelve things a selection system must do.
21 Oct 20267 min read
Programme design
Moving Selection off Forms and Spreadsheets
21 Oct 20267 min read
IdeaScore AI
Using AI in Application Review Responsibly
Five rules for using AI in application review: people decide, evidence against the rubric, checkable sources, no names sent, applicants told.
19 Oct 20267 min read
IdeaScore AI
Using AI in Application Review Responsibly
19 Oct 20267 min read
Decisions and reporting
CSR Grant-Making and Schedule VII: A Practical Guide
From partner proposals to Schedule VII mapping, due diligence, committee decisions, utilisation by year and impact reports.
14 Oct 20267 min read
Decisions and reporting
CSR Grant-Making and Schedule VII: A Practical Guide
14 Oct 20267 min read
Review and integrity
Conflicts of Interest in Grant Review
How to handle conflicts of interest in grant review: declarations, conflict-aware assignment, reassignment and an audit trail you can defend.
13 Oct 20267 min read
Review and integrity
Conflicts of Interest in Grant Review
13 Oct 20267 min read
Review and integrity
Blind Review for Scholarships and Awards
What to hide from reviewers, when, and how to keep scholarship and award review blind: case numbers, names, sensitive answers, nominators.
8 Oct 20268 min read
Review and integrity
Blind Review for Scholarships and Awards
8 Oct 20268 min read
Programme design
Running Conference Paper Review: Blind, Fair, Scheduled
How to run double-blind paper review: anonymity checks, conflicts, decisions and letters, then a schedule and public programme.
6 Oct 20268 min read
Programme design
Running Conference Paper Review: Blind, Fair, Scheduled
6 Oct 20268 min read
Evaluation
How to Design a Rubric Committees Trust
Criteria, descriptors, weights and anchoring, and why a 0 to 10 scale with written descriptors produces a ranking a committee can defend.
18 Sep 20267 min read
Evaluation
How to Design a Rubric Committees Trust
18 Sep 20267 min read

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